IQ(68)

“Anthony, are you listening?” Bobby said. “This is about your future too.”

“Yes, Bobby, I’m listening.”

Hegan was watching from the BMW. Charles was muttering at Bug, something about f*cking up his phone. Isaiah and Dodson were leaning against the Audi, Bobby in front of them, pacing back and forth, nodding sagely, hands clasped behind his back. “Calvin wants evidence that Noelle was behind the plot to kill him,” Bobby said, “and if he doesn’t get that evidence he will stay locked up in the house, causing untold damage to his career as well as serious problems for his colleagues and his record company. We can agree on that, can’t we, Mr. Quintabe?”

Isaiah had complicated things tenfold but Anthony admired him. Calm, watchful, not giving anything away, and how he looked at Bobby like he was a desk or a lamp.

“Now what I’m going to suggest here may seem extreme,” Bobby said, “but I believe at this point, extreme is our only recourse. As I said before, Calvin wants evidence that Noelle is behind the plot to kill him and what I’m proposing is that we manufacture that evidence.”

“You mean run a game on him,” Isaiah said.

“Please let me finish before you make a judgment,” Bobby said. “Now let’s say you were to tell Calvin you have a recording of Noelle and Skip making a deal. A bad example but you understand what I’m getting at. Of course, Calvin would want to hear that recording but you would tell him the police have seized it as evidence and Noelle will be arrested shortly. Therefore, you have accomplished your mission and Calvin is perfectly safe to go about his business without further worry.” Bobby put his palms out, cutting off Isaiah’s reply. “Yes, I understand, you’re a man of scruples,” he said. “I applaud you for that but this impasse must be broken for all our sakes.”

Anthony knew what was coming next. True to form, Bobby plopped down a thick envelope on the hood of the Audi. Some bills fanned out, all hundreds.

“If you could see your way clear to helping us resolve our problem,” Bobby said, “I’m prepared to give you twenty thousand dollars in cash.”

For once Anthony hoped Bobby’s shady tactics would work but Isaiah was still unreadable. The entire Las Vegas Strip was flashing in Dodson’s eyes.

“Thank you, Bobby,” Dodson said. “That’s a very generous offer. Don’t you think so, Isaiah?”

“Bear in mind,” Bobby said, “Calvin will still be obliged to pay you the fifty-thousand-dollar bonus and you’ll already have twenty thousand from me. What do you think, Mr. Quintabe? It’s a win-win for everybody concerned.”

“Can’t do it,” Isaiah said.

“Why not?” Bobby said.

“Why not?” Dodson said.

“Take it, fool,” Charles said, “you know you want the money.”

“I said why not,” Isaiah said. “I’m not running a game on Cal.”

Anthony was enjoying the back-and-forth but this had to end. “Look, you’re not being fair or realistic,” he said. “You haven’t made any progress on the case and there’s no reason to believe you will. You’re stuck, admit it. Come on, Isaiah, it’s time for everyone to move on.”

“I’ve got a new lead,” Isaiah said, shooting a quick glance at Dodson.

“A new lead?” Bobby said. “What new lead?”

“He’s bullshitting,” Charles said.

“Shut up, Charles. What new lead, Mr. Quintabe?”

“There’s a man who knows Skip,” Isaiah said. “I’m meeting him tonight at JC’s, a bar in Long Beach. Around eleven.”

“Well, what does this new lead have to say?” Bobby said.

“I’ll tell you if it pans out. I don’t want to jump the gun and piss somebody off.”

“Piss somebody off like who? You’re not making any sense, Mr. Quintabe. Can we get back to reality, please? Now will you or won’t you go along with the program?”

“No. I won’t.”

Bobby put his hands on his hips, looked down at the ground, and took a deep breath, Anthony thinking Uh-oh. When Bobby looked up again, his eyes were frozen solid, an ice pick in his voice. “I happen to be a very influential man, Mr. Quintabe,” he said, “and I know a lot of influential people. It would be a shame if something were to diminish your stature in the music community. You know how people talk.”

“There are a lot of communities out there besides music,” Isaiah said, “and none of them give a damn about your influence and I’ll tell you something else, Mr. Grimes. I can’t be diminished by people talking no matter who they are but I will be if I take that money.”

Anthony felt a surge of pride and wished it was for himself.


They were driving down Pacific to Dodson’s place, Dodson staring out the window at his bank statement. “Turn down twenty thousand dollars,” he said, disgusted. “Even for you that was off the rocker.”

“I had to,” Isaiah said.

“No, you didn’t. You got pissed off and lost your common sense just like you did with Skip and f*cked up my situation in the process. I got a nut to crack. Turn down twenty thousand dollars. You took the case to make some money and here you are walking away from it? What kind of bullshit is that? And don’t tell me you gonna solve the case. Ain’t nothin’ to solve. We got nothing to go on and nowhere to go, do we? Do we? Shit. You pay your mortgage with your scruples? Buy your damn groceries with it? I tried to spend mine at the supermarket and they told me they only accept money. And what was all that shit about meeting somebody at JC’s? If you making a play the least you could do is tell me about it.”